


It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like I'm in Love with You

by wootar519



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Still Have Powers, CADMUS isn't a thing, Chaptered, Christmas, F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Friends to Lovers, Gay Mess Kara Danvers, Gay Mess Lena Luthor, Lesbian Lena Luthor, Lex is supportive and loving, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2020-02-09
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:34:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21953740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wootar519/pseuds/wootar519
Summary: Based on the tweet: “I’ll pretend to be your girlfriend for the holidays and you can ghost me afterwards.” Kara and Lena are best friends at University and Lena thinks she’s found the perfect way to get her family off her back about still being single.Or: The fake dating, Christmas AU no one asked for but was begging to be writtenPreviously: It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Comments: 65
Kudos: 717





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So here it is! This has been rattling around in my brain for the last 5-6 weeks but due to exams I haven’t had the chance to write it, I’m officially done the semester though so this is the result. It will hopefully be pure fluff and I have a handful of ideas for it. As always bless the heart of Monroha-Kay who is a fantastic beta. Hope you all enjoy it!

Lena trudged across the snow-covered campus, shivering slightly as her face was met with a cold breeze. She had never been a fan of winter, mostly because it meant three things; cold weather, final exams, and once again returning home for the Christmas break ready to face endless questions about why she was still without a partner. She grimaced as her bare hands came in contact with the metal handle of the door she was pulling open, mentally chastising herself for the decision of not wearing gloves since she was only going between two buildings. Sighing as she entered the heated building, she made her way down the stairs next to the entrance, passing people on their way out of various exams. 

“Lena!” The familiar voice caused her head to lift up, grinning when she saw Kara waving at her from a table. Making her way over, she saw Winn and James sitting on one side, Kelly and Alex on the other, with Kara awkwardly squeezed in next to her sister. 

The blonde slipped out of her seat, wrapping her arms around Lena in a tight hug as soon as she was close enough to reach. “It’s been way too long since I’ve seen you.” 

Lena melted into the embrace, doing her best not to show her best friend how deeply she relaxed around her. “I’ve missed you too.” Lena responded as Kara pulled back. 

“Here sit.” Kara insisted, motioning to the seat next to James as she returned to her place next to Alex. James and Winn both shuffled over, moving in closer together so Lena would have more room.

Lena shrugged off her jacket, somewhat awkwardly folding it together and putting it on her lap. She offered everyone at the table a smile, staying silent as the conversation picked up again from before she had gotten there. 

“You guys are bold all going at once.” Kara spoke jokingly.

“Going where?” Lena asked, curious as to where everyone was going for the holidays.

“Oh Alex is spending Christmas with Kelly, and Winn is going with James.” Kara explained. “So they’ll both be doing the whole introducing the parents to the significant other thing at the same time.” 

Alex rolled her eyes as she shoved Kara playfully. “At least this way we can all go through it together.” 

“My mom is gonna love you.” Kelly assured as she kissed Alex briefly. “You too Winn.” She smiled as she looked over the table at the young man who seemed slightly nervous at the prospect of meeting his boyfriend’s mother. 

“What about you Lena? What are you doing for the holidays?” James asked as he turned to her. 

“My plans start with going home and end around the same place,” Lena admitted. “My family isn’t super big on the holidays.” That was only somewhat of a lie. Every year her mother hosted a big party with the most notable people there, ready to rub elbows and talk about how much money they all had and the best boats to buy with said money. Every year since she was 16, those people included some young man her mother had deemed acceptable and tried to set her up with, and every year she skillfully avoided all hints of furthering any semblance of a relationship. 

Kara tilted her head slightly at Lena, but decided not to push it in the setting they were in. After knowing Lena for three years, she could read her young friend well and knew there was something more than what she was letting on.

“We should think about going.” Kelly announced. “Alex and Winn are both staying over at mine and Jame’s place tonight, we’re leaving really early tomorrow so we can get to Chicago on time.” 

“I’m gonna miss you, Alex.” Kara smiled, giving her sister a quick hug. 

“Kara, you know you could come with us.” James reminded as Lena shuffled out of the bench, following everyone’s else’s actions and putting her coat on.

Kara laughed softly. “No offence, but I don’t need to fifth wheel your meet the parents Christmas.” She put her jacket on, pulling her knit cap over her blonde curls. “I appreciate the offer though.” 

Alex opened her mouth to argue that her sister wouldn’t be fifth wheeling, but realized she didn’t have much of an argument against it. She knew she certainly wouldn’t want to be the single one while two couples had Christmas with their partners and their parents. “You call if you need anything, okay?” Alex sighed as she wrapped her sister in a hug. 

Kara let out a chuckle and returned the hug, giving her sister a quick squeeze. “I know. I love you.”

“Love you too.” Alex smiled. 

Quick goodbyes were exchanged between everyone and eventually they all parted ways. Alex and Winn joined Kelly and James to their apartment so they could get an early start on the day, while Kara headed back to the apartment she shared with Alex and Lena returned to her own apartment off campus. 

That’s how Lena spent the next few hours, alone. Lena packed somewhat lazily for her trip, gathering clothes in which to spend the holidays, knowing most of her good clothes remained at the Luthor Mansion so she only needed to pack clothes for the trip to Metropolis. All the while listening to anything but Christmas carols and occasionally scrolling through Twitter. 

It was Kara’s tweet on the top of her timeline, one where the older blonde responded to herself, that caught her attention, resulting in her leaning over slightly to better read the text. 

**Kara Danvers** @itskaradanvers  
_Spending the Christmas break with rum, eggnog, and half priced gingerbread houses_  
|  
|  
**Kara Danvers** @itskaradanvers  
_I’ll pretend to be your girlfriend for the holidays and you can ghost me after_ 😏 

Lena chuckled gently as she looked over the tweet, she was mid snappy reply when her fingers froze over the keys. She deleted the text before chewing her thumb nail for a quick second. She wondered if Kara had been serious, if she could take Kara up on that offer without it being totally weird. She wasn’t sure what possessed her in that moment, she figured if she thought too long about it she’d talk herself out of it. 

No more than five minutes later she was on her way out the door, shrugging on her coat while shuffling into her boots and putting on a hat. She smiled at her neighbour who was coming home from work, hoping she didn’t look like too much of a fool as she pushed open the door to go outside. 

She was jittery the whole way to Kara’s, willing to not talk herself out of the plan that was forming in her head while simultaneously praying to a deity she didn’t believe in that this wouldn’t be a request so weird it sent one of her closest and only friends running for the hills. She made her way down the hallway and up the two sets of stairs before finally arriving at Kara’s door. With a deep breath, her knuckles met the door, rapping against the wood. She heard Kara’s voice from inside declaring she was on her way, smiling as the door was pulled open.

“Lena!” She called cheerfully. “What are you doing here?” She questioned as she brought her inside. 

“I uh, I came to ask you a question.” Lena spoke honestly.

“You came all the way to my apartment, in the cold, to ask me a question?” Kara queried. “Lena you hate the cold.” 

Lena chuckled awkwardly. “Yes, I do hate the cold. But this was the sort of question I thought was really better asked in person.” She turned to face Kara, chewing her lip gently as she looked over the blonde’s expecting expression. “That tweet you posted, the whole being your girlfriend for the holidays thing, is that a serious offer? For anyone?” 

Kara barked out a laugh. “That’s what you wanted to ask me about? I’ll be mildly sad and alone for the holidays, but I’ll survive.” She assured.

Lena let out a shaky breath. “No I know, I was just wondering if you would come to Metropolis with me, as my ‘girlfriend’?” Lena put strongly emphasized air quotes around the last word, swallowing stiffly, afraid she just made a horrendously awkward mistake by asking this question, or for even thinking it was a good idea.

Kara blinked at her slowly, mouth slightly agape in shock. “You want me to come to Metropolis with you, and pretend to be your girlfriend for your family’s Christmas?” She asked it slowly for clarification, positive she had heard her friend incorrectly.

“It was a bad idea I’m sorry, I should just go.” Lena sighed and headed for the door. She couldn’t believe how stupid she felt. She knew it was a bad idea, she just didn’t listen to the little voice in her head telling her this was a mistake. Lena knew Kara would never want her name tied to that of the Luthor’s, real girlfriend or not. She felt sick to her stomach, and suddenly realized she may have shot to shit the only true friendship she had ever had, aside from her brother. She wanted to go into hiding, to cry and disappear forever.

“No Lena wait!” Kara spoke quickly, interrupting Lena’s dark and spiralling thoughts and she reached out for her hand. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t making fun of you. I was just a bit shocked that anyone was asking, let alone you.” She spoke, cursing inwardly when she realized how much of her true feelings that last sentence gave away. “If you want me to come to Metropolis with you, I would be more than happy to join you. And as for the fake girlfriend thing, absolutely I will do that for you.” 

Lena let out a relaxed breath. “Really?” She asked, her voice still slightly unsure by the prospect of this occurring.

“Really.” Kara replied with a smile. 

Lena couldn’t help it as her entire face broke into a grin. “You are the greatest friend ever.” She stepped forward as she spoke, giving Kara a brief hug and doing her best not to get distracted by the calming and simultaneously intoxicating scent of the older girl’s hair. “I’ll send you the details later, I’ll get you onto the same flight as me. You’ll want to pack some comfortable clothes and one or two nice things, family dinners and all that, but whatever you wear will be perfect.” Lena informed her, hoping the compliment at the end wasn’t too obvious. 

Kara chuckled warmly. “I’ll be sure to do that. What time do you want to leave?” 

“If I come by to get you at 11, does that work for you?” Lena queried, mentally calculating in her head the time it would take for them to get to and from the airport, and subsequently, arrive at her family home.

“Yeah 11 is great, I’ll see you then.” Kara concluded as she followed Lena slightly out the door. “Oh and Lena?” She asked just as the young brunette was about to leave. 

“Yeah?” Lena asked as she turned to her, her pale skin almost glowing under the hallway lights, her eyes seemingly even more green. 

“Thank you for trusting me enough to ask this, I hope you know you can always trust me with anything and I won’t ever judge you.” Kara spoke strongly, her tone leaving no room for doubting that she believed what she said to be true. 

Lena smiled warmly at her. “I know, the same goes for you.” She assured her. “Have a good night Kara.”

“Goodnight Lena.” Kara spoke as she closed the door. 

Lena smiled all the way back to her apartment, humming absentmindedly as she finished packing. She closed up her suitcase and informed the pilot there would be one extra passenger on the plane tomorrow, simultaneously informing her mother that she would be bringing someone home for the holidays. She didn’t divulge a name, gender, or social insurance number; though she knows those are all things her mother would learn sooner or later. Ensuring her doors were locked, and everything was set for the next day, Lena crawled into bed that night, she wasn’t sure how her plan would turn out, but for once in her life, she felt everything would be alright. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meeting the family is a big step

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I know this took way longer than I'm expected and I do apologize but it is also like 4000 word so hopefully that makes up for the delay. Enjoy!

Kara let her weight drop onto her suitcase, star-fishing over it as she struggled to tug at the zipper. She let out a relieved huff when she managed to close the suitcase and not have the whole thing explode clothing all over her room. She knew she packed way too much, but in her defence, she had no idea what to expect. When she went home for the holidays, it was all sweat pants and pyjamas. But she knew with a family like the Luthor’s, that wouldn’t be the case. Lena had told her to dress comfortably, but the most relaxed she had ever seen her younger friend was in sweat pants during long stretches of studying, and she knew for a fact the sweat pants were designer, and way more than Kara could ever hope to afford. 

She reached for her phone when she heard it vibrate against the table, opening with a quick tap of her fingers before reading over the text that had come in.

 **Lena:** _Just downstairs, take your time there’s no need to rush_

Kara typed back quickly, unplugging her phone from the charger and hauling her suitcase off the bed.

 **Kara:** _On my way down, be there soon_

She sent it off before grabbing her purse and stepping outside her door, doing one last check of herself. 

Suitcase? Check. Purse? Check. Passport? Check. Coat? Check. Scarf, hat and mitts were in her bag, and she opted to bring only her phone, figuring she wouldn’t need her laptop while she was with Lena. She pulled the door of her apartment closed, locking both deadbolts before heading downstairs. 

As she pushed open the downstairs door, doing her best not to let her strength rip the door from its hinges, she saw Lena step out of the car. Knitting her brows slightly, she realized the driver of the car wasn’t a typical taxi driver, but instead was dressed in a crisp black suit. She was suddenly thankful she had packed her good bra, less she need to buy a new outfit for this trip when she and Lena got to Metropolis. 

“Hey how are you?” Kara asked with a cheerful smile, doing her best to not look terribly awkward as she reached forward to give Lena a hug. 

“I’m good, how are you?” Lena responded smoothly as she returned the embrace. Kara pulled back first, swallowing slightly as she took a step back from being too close to Lena. 

“I’m fine, I slept well so that’s always good.” That was only somewhat of a total and complete lie, she was so nervous she barely slept all night, finally passing out around three in the morning before her alarm had startled her awake at 9:45.

“Charles will take your bag.” Lena informed her when Kara moved to take her bag to the trunk of the car. 

Kara faltered slightly, so used to doing it herself. “Thank you.” She told Charles, giving him a kind smile as she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. She laughed gently when Lena opened the door for her, crawling into the seat before Lena rounded the car and got in next to her. 

“The airport isn’t far, then the flight to Metropolis is only a few hours. I figured on the plane we could go over just basic stuff.” Lena suggested. 

Kara nodded, glancing over at her. Her voice was calm and steady, but Kara could hear that the young ravenette’s heart was faster than normal. She opted to forgo asking about it for the time being, knowing that her friend was likely just apprehensive about going home for the holidays and the potential difficulties that came with it. 

The drive to the airport was short and as a result, relatively silent; mostly discussing how their exams went, and what courses they were taking the next semester after the break. Kara was always impressed by Lena’s dedication to taking advanced courses. She was currently double majoring in biomechanical engineering, and business. Kara had no idea how she managed to keep up with it all, considering her own journalism courses kept her plenty busy in her opinion. 

When they arrived at the airport, Kara prepared for the usual disaster that was traveling near the holidays. Growing confused once more when the car drove around the airport to what was obviously a private hanger, and eventually straight up to a jet. Kara felt her mouth drop open slightly, hoping she wasn’t gaping too much as she practically stumbled out of the car.

“You know, when you said you were going to get me on the same flight as you, I didn’t realize you met the flight of your private jet.” Kara observed almost uneasily as they approached the sleek jet. She carried her suitcase in her hand, one she realized was much rattier than the clearly expensive one Lena owned since seeing them side by side. 

“My family travels a lot, my father sends one to come get me whenever we have a holiday break, long enough for it to be worth going anyway.” Lena explained, as if having a private jet sent to retrieve you for a holiday break was a normal occurrence, Kara realized in her family’s social circles it likely was.

“That’s pretty kind of him.” Kara noted, not sure what else to reply to what Lena just said. They boarded the plane, Kara following in after Lena, who seemed immediately comfortable in the setting. “Holy crap.” Kara breathed, unable to keep the surprise from her voice as she looked around the leather seats and even spotted a flight attendant. 

Lena chuckled slightly. “Here come sit.” She encouraged as she sat down, motioning to the seat next to her. Kara followed her and sat across from Lena, pushing open the window covering in order to look outside. 

“Ms. Luthor,” The attendant started, “we’ll be taking off in roughly ten minutes, can I get you or your guest anything?”

“Kara, do you want anything?” Lena asked her, before turning back to the flight attendant. “I’ll have a ginger-ale but I’m fine otherwise.” 

“I’m good, thank you though.” Kara spoke politely. 

The engines roared to life shortly after the ginger ale was placed in front of Lena, and they soon began taxing towards the runway, lined up with the stripes against the black asphalt. 

Kara tilted her head to look out the window, turning with a confused frown when Lena's frantic heartbeat met her ears. Lena sat with her eyes shut tight, her hands gripping the hand rest so forcefully her knuckles turned white. Knowing talking would likely be too overwhelming, Kara stood silently and crossed the space between them, going instead to the seat next to Lena. 

She reached out and clasped her strong hand around the young woman's smaller one, letting Lena grip it as tight as she needed to, which she did. She listened closely to the pounding of Lena's heart as they ascended into the bright blue of the sky, noticing the rough beating tapering off into a more steady thump once they reached cruising altitude. 

It was then that Lena seemed to realize she was holding Kara's hand and slowly removed her hand. "Thank you." Lena whispered softly, glancing over to Kara's bright blue eyes. 

"It's no problem." Kara smiled back, noticing how green Lena's eyes were with the addition of the sunlight. 

Lena cleared her throat before speaking. "I figured on our way over we could go over some stuff, get our story straight you know?" She suggested as she brushed hair behind her ear. 

“Sounds good to me.” Kara agreed. “It’ll help that we’ve actually been friends for the last few years.” She spoke, smiling briefly as the memory of how they met entered her mind. 

“Exactly.” Lena grinned. “Just things like who asked out who, how long have we been together, so on and so forth.”

“You asked me out.” Kara supplied without hesitation. “Let’s say 5 months ago, because any longer than that and your parents will wonder why you didn’t say anything sooner, but anything less than that it may be weird that you were bringing me home for the holidays.” 

“Fair enough, I asked you out, but you kissed me first.” Lena decided. Kara noticed her voice waver for a split second, almost as if she was trying too hard to keep it steady, but decided not to say anything. 

She herself tried not to let the butterflies in her stomach get the better of her when Lena suggested Kara would have kissed her first. She has no doubt she would have, she often wondered if her friend had thought about it as much as she had, before realizing that was a ridiculous notion, mentally chastising herself for such a thought. 

“Where was our first date?” Lena asked, taking a sip of her ginger ale in an attempt to soothe her turbulent stomach. She never hated flying any less the more she did it. 

“The science centre.” The answer was out of Kara’s mouth before she could decide if adding a bit of delay would be a good idea, like she had to maybe think about where she would bring Lena on a date. “Then like a late lunch, early dinner at that diner down the street. Then I walked you home.” 

“Seems like you’ve given this quite a bit of thought.” Lena smirked, one eyebrow raised questioningly at Kara.

“Well we’re friends so you know I figured one day we could go together anyway, I know you love pointing out the mistakes.” Kara spoke. She tried not to think too hard about the smirk dropping from Lena’s face almost as quickly as it had appeared. She pushed her glasses back up her nose, knowing she was thinking far too much into every interaction they shared; not that that was new. 

* * *

Kara held her breath as the car drove up to Lena’s childhood home. Though looking up at the expansive building and surrounding grounds, Kara realized it was more of a mansion, or perhaps an estate. The rest of the flight had been relatively uneventful, discussing bits of information, trivia type facts, and filling in blanks that were likely to be required for them to be able to answer. Lena hadn’t told her much about her family. Though Kara had the basics after being friends with her for so many years she realized she didn’t know much else besides the fact that Lena was adopted when she was 4, she had a half brother named Lex, and her mother seemed a bit rough around the edges as far as Kara was concerned.

Kara watched as a young man exited the front door of the house, Lena practically clambering out of the car and rushing towards him. He enveloped her in a massive, bone crushing hug, lifting her off the ground. That must be Lex, Kara thought to herself as she exited the car, moving to get their bags only to realize two people, she imagined those who worked in the house, were already bringing them inside. 

“And who might this be?” Lex asked as Kara approached them, shooting Lena a bit of a confused glance at the question.

“This is Kara, my… my uh girlfriend.” Lena spoke both slowly and unsurely as she gave her brother a tight smile.

Lex had a neutral expression for a beat before smiling widely. “It’s wonderful to meet you Kara.” He spoke pulling her into a quick hug. “I’ll go tell father you’re here, he’ll be so happy to have you home.” 

Lena smiled and went to follow him only for Kara to tug her back towards her, hand on her arm. “Lena,” she whispered. “you didn’t tell them I was coming?” She asked in a panic. 

“I told them I was bringing someone, I just maybe didn’t say that someone was a woman.” She informed her, her smile tighter than when she had told Lex, looking at Kara in the hopes that it wouldn’t freak her friend out completely. “They all kind of know I’m not straight, they probably just didn’t figure I’m as much of a lesbian as I am.” 

Kara looked at her with wide eyes, suddenly realizing her friend was practically coming out to her family, over the holidays, with a fake girlfriend. “Well then, let’s do this right.” Kara spoke and reached down to thread her fingers through Lena’s. She felt Lena relax next to her, following her girlfriend as they walked into the lavish home. 

“Lena!” Lionel’s voice filled the entrance way, Lena dropping Kara’s hand just in time to wrap her arms around her father. “It’s so good to see you my dear.” 

“Hi dad.” She smiled and bent onto the tips of her toes in order to return the hug properly. “Hi mom.” She added as she saw Lillian standing just behind her father.

“Hello Lena.” Lillian responded, giving her a smile but making no move to hug her daughter. Kara knitted her brows at the interaction, doing her best not to frown too deeply at the realization that Lena had stepped forward for a hug from her mother, before taking two steps back to be next to Kara when she realized one was not being offered. 

This time it was Lena who took Kara’s hand, gripping it gently. “Kara this is my mom Lillian, and my dad Lionel; mom, dad this is Kara Danvers my girlfriend.” The words came from her mouth more surely than when she had told Lex. Kara wondered if it was a defence mechanism, to not show weakness in front of her parents. 

Her father wasn’t surprised at all and immediately reached his hand out to Kara, shaking her free hand warmly. “It’s such a pleasure to meet you Kara, I cannot wait to learn all about the woman who won my Lena’s heart.” He spoke with a smile. “I’ll let the two of you settle in, I do believe your mother has had your room set up."

Lillian stepped forward, though made no move to introduce herself to Kara. “Your room is set up and the room down the hall from yours has been set up for your guest.” Lillian spoke calmly. “I had Ivan bring your bags up already and put them in your respective rooms.”

“Thank you Mrs. Luthor.” Kara spoke brightly, she was not going to let the woman’s cold shoulder deter her from making a good impression on Lena’s family. She knew it meant a lot to her friend and she wasn’t going to let it get to her.

Lena brought Kara upstairs, pushing open the door to her room first. “I’m not surprised my mom made us take separate rooms, but I guess it’s a good thing.” Lena laughed, imagining it would make this whole fake relationship thing easier if they weren’t also expected to awkwardly share a room. 

“Do you mind if I-?” Kara asked, haphazardly gesturing around the room, a wordless request if Lena would mind if she looked around. 

“Not at all. Make yourself at home, I’ll give you a tour later.” Lena smiled as she opened her suitcase and put away the clothes she had brought. She always preferred putting away her clothes on her own, being particular about where things went. 

Kara made her way to the desk that took up the majority of a far wall, book shelves taking up either side. They were lined with textbooks on engineering, physics, and advance mathematics; there was even a full set of encyclopedias that appeared to be old, possibly first editions. 

“I see the over achiever in you is not new.” Kara spoke playfully as she looked over a wall and table full of trophies, awards, certificates, and congratulatory letters. 

“It was Lex’s idea that I put them up, he thinks I don’t give myself enough credit.” Lena answered as she came to stand next to Kara.

“He seems like a good brother.” 

“He is.” Lena answered without hesitation. “When I was adopted, Lex didn’t question it at all, he’s been nothing but loving and supportive. I owe him a lot, he’s the best brother I ever could have gotten.” 

Kara smiled at how truly happy Lena was talking about her brother, it was nice to see her so carefree. 

“I’ll show you to your room.” Lena offered as they left her room and she showed her to Kara’s. “Feel free to unpack and look around.” She explained as she pushed open the door. “Nearly every room has a bookshelf, I’ll show you the library later and you can take books from there if you want to read.” Lena informed her. 

“How big is this place anyway?” Kara asked as she looked around the room that she was sure would fit her entire apartment. She noticed that already her suitcase was unpacked, her clothes hung perfectly spaced in the closet. She imagined the drawers of the dresser across from the bed held the rest of her clothing. 

“Too big.” Lena answered simply. “Come with me I’ll show you around, then you can get settled in before dinner.” Lena offered.

“Sounds good to me.” Kara grinned and followed her through the halls of the home. Lena lead her through the impressive building, showing her the library, pointing out the different bedrooms, the dining room, the second much larger library, the massive entertainment room which included board games, a massive television, and every gaming console imaginable. 

“Lex likes video games.” Lena explained simply. “He believes they help free the mind, he has a tech buddy named Seymour he often plays with.” 

Kara followed after Lena, skidding to a stop. “Is that a pool?” She asked in shock as she took notice of the door with a window in the top half of it, the blue water on the other side glistening under the lights.

“Yeah, you can use it if you want, we have an indoor and an outdoor pool, I’m not much of a swimmer though.” Lena said honestly.

Kara laughed. “If you can’t find me that’s where I’ll be.” She said somewhat as a joke but was suddenly glad she had packed her bathing suit. When she packed it, she was sure it wouldn’t be used but had done so just to be safe, and now she was glad she had. 

Lena’s phone buzzed and she reached into her pocket in order to retrieve it. “Lex says dinner is ready.” 

“I guess a house this size doesn’t have an intercom.” Kara joked.

“It does.” Lena responded with a small smile. “We just don’t use it that often, we used to as kids, it was a lot of fun.” She explained as they walked back towards the dining room.

Kara’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, not having expected the house to actually have an intercom system. “Am I dressed okay for dinner?” Kara asked concerned, looking down at her faded jeans and her shirt; her shirt was nice enough; it was light blue to bring out her eyes, and had a three-quarter length sleeve. She had wanted to look nice since she knew she would be meeting Lena’s parents, but it wasn’t anything over the top. She was now wondering if she had to change, even if Lena was dressed similarly to her. 

“You’re fine, tonight will be much more of a relaxed dinner.” Lena assured her. “Besides you always look beautiful so you don’t have to be worried about that.” She added as they entered the dining room. Lena didn’t notice the colour that made it’s way up to Kara’s cheeks and the tips of her ears. 

Upon arriving at the dinner table they sat down, Lena next to Kara with Lex on the other side of her. The first half of the dinner wasn’t overly exciting, Kara mostly remaining silent as Lena caught up with her parents, and Lex explained the new project he was working on. 

“So Kara,” Lillian’s voice cut through the silence that had formed. “what are you studying?”

“I’m majoring in journalism with a minor in political science.”

Lillian pursed her lips. “The liberal arts. . . .how interesting.” She decided, doing nothing to hide the disdain from her tone.

“Mother.” Lena chastised, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment as she shot Kara an apologetic glance. 

“That sounds fascinating,” Lex interrupted. “journalists can do so much good for the world, after all it was Walter Cronkite who said that freedom of the press is not just as important as democracy, it is democracy.” He noted, Lionel nodding his head in agreement. “I commend you for following such a noble pursuit.” 

Kara smiled kindly. “Well I can only hope I am able to do the profession justice.” 

“I’m sure you will,” Lionel added. “now, you must tell us, how did you and my Lena meet?” He queried as he took a sip of his wine. “I can’t imagine you would run in similar circles.” 

“I was working on a project for an advance class and Kara was the one to interview me for the school paper. She was doing her rotation on the science majors.” Lena explained. 

“And how exactly did you venture from an interview to a relationship?” Lillian question, her tone making it clear that she wondered how one simple task ended in her daughter having a relationship with a person so below their status. 

“She needed clarification when she was writing the article so we met for coffee, we started chatting and we became very good friends. She finally asked me out on a real date about five months ago.” Lena explained. 

“How quaint.” Lillian added simply, deciding not to say anything else for the rest of the dinner. 

Lena grit her teeth to hold back from rolling her eyes at her mother. She wasn’t expecting a warm welcome, but she also didn’t really expect this much disdain. After that the meal came to a close rather quickly, with a few more questions from Lionel but nothing overly intrusive, for which Lena was thankful. 

She walked with Kara back to her room, making sure her friend wouldn’t get lost. “Thank you for all of this.” Lena spoke truthfully as they came to her door. “I’m sorry about my mother.”

Kara laughed. “No harm no foul, your family seems really nice.” She added. She knew family’s were complicated but wouldn’t let that deter her. 

“Goodnight Kara.” Lena spoke with a gentle smile, glad she had such a good friend. 

“Goodnight Lena.” Kara whispered as she leant forward and pressed her lips to Lena’s cheek, she pulled back slowly before slipping into her bedroom. She told herself the kiss was for the benefit of their ruse, but in reality she didn’t know what had possessed her to do such a thing. She quickly got changed for bed, listening as the door to Lena’s bedroom clicked shut. She slept peacefully, dreaming of her beautiful brunette friend down the hall. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos feed the soul


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took me a bit longer to write, holidays are never as relaxing as they should be. Also if anyone knows how to embed links can you HMU? I have some I wanna add for pictures etc. but I am not sure how to.

Lena stood in the kitchen, humming gently as she flipped a pancake onto the nearby plate. Pouring more batter, she watched as it sizzled around the edges. She took a sip of her coffee, smiling at the warmth before turning around when she heard someone enter the kitchen. 

“Mornin’ sis.” Lex’s voice met her ears as he went to the coffee pot, grabbing a mug from the cupboard above. “You’re cooking?”

“Kara likes pancakes.” Lena spoke nonchalantly.

Lex smiled. “Oh I see, so these are for the girlfriend.” He grinned as he reached for one that rested on the top of the plate. 

Lena reached her free hand out, smacking the top of his. “Yes, for the girlfriend.” She spoke, cursing herself internally for the split second of warmth that entered her chest at someone else calling Kara her girlfriend, even though she wasn’t actually in a relationship with the stunning blonde.

“Ow.” Lex complained playfully as he retracted his hand. He leaned against the counter, watching his sister with a smile. “You know I was worried when you left home so early, I thought you should have stayed longer,” he took a sip of his coffee before continuing. “but it’s obviously been good for you. Kara seems really amazing. I’m glad you moved out, it means you got to meet someone who is really good for you. You did good Ace.” He congratulated, the nickname he had given Lena rolling off his tongue. 

Lena turned to him, a soft smile on her face; she forgot sometimes how much her brother adored her. “I love you Lex.” 

“I love you too.” Lex smiled as he reached forward, his other arm still around Lena. He picked a pancake off the top, pulling back quickly and jumping out of reach when she swung at him playfully. 

“Those are for Kara!” She called to his retreating form.

“Love you Ace!” He called back as he sauntered out of the room.

Lena rolled her eyes at her brother’s antics, focusing back to the stove and only turning around again when she heard a mumble behind her.

“Good Morning.” Kara spoke through a yawn. She pulled out a bar stool and spread herself out over the breakfast bar, her chin resting against the cool marble

“Morning Kara.” Lena spoke happily as she handed Kara a cup of coffee with milk, just the way she knew her friend liked it.

“You’re chipper.” Kara noted as she took the cup with a smile and took a long sip of it. “God that’s good coffee.” She whispered in slight awe at the quality.

“I’m a morning person.” Lena reminded. “I see you are not.”

“Before 11am I’m not even sure I count as a person.” Kara spoke truthfully, taking another tired sip of coffee. “Are those pancakes?” She asked, craning her neck to look at what Lena was plating.

“They are indeed. I know you love them.” 

“You made me pancakes?” Kara questioned in order to clarify, smiling at how kind the simple gesture was.

“It was the least I could do considering everything you’re doing for me.” Lena reminded as she put the plate in front of Kara, complete with real maple syrup (the kind from Québec) and a side of bacon. 

“Nothing I wouldn’t do again in a heartbeat. Besides, I love spending time with you so this is just a bonus.” She grinned as she cut her pancakes and took a bite of them, moaning at the taste. “Oh my god Lena these are amazing.”

Lena cleared her throat awkwardly, trying not to overthink the sound that had erupted from her friend’s throat. She hoped that the burning of her cheeks wasn’t as bad as it felt, or perhaps Kara would brush it off to the fact she had been cooking. “I’m glad you liked them, they’re my mom’s recipe.”

“Really?” Kara asked, some pancake still in her mouth before she swallowed. “Lillian doesn’t really strike me as the type to pass on a pancake recipe.” Kara noted. 

“She’s not,” Lena added, chuckling almost bitterly. She leant against the counter top, looking up at Kara. “I used to cook with my birth mother, I found a notebook when I was a teen. Took a bit of decoding, but it was 3 year old me that messily wrote down her recipes as best I could.” It still hurt to talk about her mom, but she appreciated that Kara wasn’t currently looking at her with the pity that often accompanied people hearing stories like this. Kara was just looking at her kindly, like she understood. 

“I’m sorry.” Kara apologized gently. “I know how hard it is to lose someone, especially your mother. I’m glad you have this as a way to remember her by.” She spoke the words softly, before reaching her hand out and taking Lena’s. Kara knew exactly what it felt like, she remembered Krypton as well as she could but she often felt it wasn’t enough. “Your mom would be proud of you.” She whispered.

Lena dropped her head slightly, willing herself not to cry as she gripped Kara’s hand gently. “Thank you Kara.” She whispered shakily, wiping her eyes with her free hand quickly before looking back up at her friend. 

“Good morning Lena.” 

Lillian’s voice caused Lena to tense, ripping her hand out of Kara’s grasp so quickly she had to scramble to not completely knock over the oil she had been using in the pan. “Good morning mother, there’s coffee made.” She offered, clearing her throat and doing her best to brush off the flour from her shirt.

“Morning Mrs. Luthor.” Kara greeted cheerily.

“Good morning Miss Danvers.” Lillian greeted, her voice was warmer than the day before, but still held a slight chill as she took a sip of her coffee. 

“You can call me Kara.” Kara noted with a laugh, thinking that perhaps Lillian was doing it as a representation of the fact that she was calling her by her formal last name. 

Lillian offered her a tight smile but no immediate response, looking over the disarray of the kitchen from Lena’s cooking endeavours. “Miss Danvers if you don’t mind I’d like to talk to Lena privately.” 

Kara let out a breath, getting up off the bar stool and bringing her empty plate to the kitchen sink for good measure, making sure she put herself between Lena and Lillian as she did. “Of course Mrs. Luthor.” She returned, her voice overly kind. “I’ll see you later babe.” Kara told Lena, kissing her quickly but firmly, if only to annoy Lillian.

Lena blinked in surprise at the kiss, hoping she didn’t look too shocked so as to give away the fact that was the first time Kara had ever kissed her on the lips. She would over think the things she was feeling later, when her mother wasn’t looking like an ice queen.

“You know you can actually call her by her first name, it’s what most people do when they meet their children’s partners.” Lena added, hoping her voice wasn’t wavering. She wasn’t afraid of her mother, rather afraid of the disappointment and disapprovement she was sure to receive from her. 

Lillian didn’t have a response to Lena’s backhanded comment; Lena realized as she watched her mother that Lillian had no intention of acknowledging Lena dating a woman.

“I wanted to remind you that your father and I are hosting the annual Christmas party tonight, and I expect you to be in attendance.” Lillian spoke simply.

“Of course I’ll be there,” Lena assured “I know that Kara and-“

Lena was cut off by Lillian’s voice, her mother not even letting her finish her sentence. “I’ve invited a few people I’d like you to meet.” She informed her.

“Most people stop being set up by their parents when they bring someone home.” Lena laughed bitterly, doing her best to play off the anxiety growing in her stomach. 

“That’s only true if they bring home an acceptable partner, and while Miss Danvers seems like a perfectly kind person, I don’t think she is a proper match for you.” 

“She comes from a nice family, she’s smart, she’s funny, most people would be happy if their daughter found a partner as amazing as her.” Lena pointed out, hoping her mother would accept the answer and move on from the topic of conversation. Though the look on Lillian’s face told Lena she wouldn’t be that lucky.

Lillian stepped forward, her form towering over Lena’s, and Lena willed herself not to shrink back. She had been taught better than that. Square your shoulders, keep your chin up, don’t break eye contact. “Lena what you do in private is your own business. However, I expect you to know better than to flaunt such a relationship, especially in the public eye. Our family has an image to uphold and she is not a part of it.” 

Lena clenched her jaw, doing her best not to grind her teeth in annoyance. She never expected her mother to be the most accepting person in the world but she didn’t expect her to be so callous about it. “Who I date in public or in private is none of your business. I’ll see you tonight.” She seethed before walking from the kitchen, doing her best not to sprint to her bedroom as tears threatened to stream down her face. 

She thankfully made it to her room relatively quickly. She tried her best to ignore the sound of Kara’s voice from down the hall, her friend obviously having just finished preparing for the day. The knock on the door caught her attention, but not enough for her to lift her head, her sobs only partially muffled by the pillow. 

"Lena?" Kara’s voice was gentle as she pushed open the door, sticking her head in. She frowned at the sight in front of her, Lena face down in the middle of her bed, her body shaking as she cried. 

She walked in slowly, wordlessly climbing onto the bed next to her. She laid down, reaching her arms out and pulling Lena into her chest. She ran her hand through Lena's dark strands, hoping the action would soothe her. Lena felt Kara’s jeans against her leggings, Lena’s hand sliding to grasp Kara’s forearm that was left bare by her white and black baseball shirt. 

It was minutes before Lena finally spoke, her sobs slowly dying down, the tears soaking the red sweater Lena sported. "Nothing I ever do is good enough for her." She whispered. "If I bring no one home then I'm waiting too long or not getting out there enough, but I bring someone home and she just judges me for it.”

Kara frowned gently, placing her lips against Lena's forehead. "Who you chose to be with is no ones business but your own." Kara reminded. 

"It's not fair, she should be happy for me. I don't ask for a lot from her, but still it isn't enough. You're a really amazing person to bring home Kara. Lex sees it, and my dad sees it. I don't know why she has to be so critical of everything all the time." 

Kara let out a breath as she sat up slightly, leaning her back against the bed with her legs outstretched. She pulled Lena into her lap, the other’s knees on either side of Kara’s hips. “Who you love is your business. You are a brilliant, kind hearted, beautiful soul and what anyone else thinks doesn’t matter. You are so perfect, and so unbelievably loved.” Kara whispered, pressing her lips against Lena’s temple in a gentle kiss, her arms wrapping around the small of her back. “You’re my favourite.” 

Lena melted against her, shoulders releasing their tension as she let out a ragged breath. “You’re my favourite too.” She couldn’t remember a time she felt this warm, this comforted. She let herself relax, nuzzling against Kara slightly. 

Kara supported Lena’s frame, rubbing her hand along her back. They both fell silent, simply enjoying one another’s company. Kara waited until she felt Lena relax completely, her heartbeat and breathing evening out as her tears stopped. It was then she realized Lena had fallen asleep, her body snuggled against Kara’s. 

Kara chewed her lip gently, realizing if Lena slept like this for long she’d have a sore neck, back and probably a few other joints by the time she woke up. And that’s not what Kara wanted. Straining her ears, she took note of everyone on the premises. Lionel was in his office, Lex sounded like he was doing archery judging by the sounds of string being pulled back, and Lillian was telling a house worker she was doing something wrong before taking over the task herself. 

Satisfied that no one would be walking into the bedroom, and ensuring Lena was as asleep as she could be, Kara levitated the two of them off the ground. Holding Lena close, she slowly, and only somewhat awkwardly, rotated them. Lowering Lena onto the soft sheets of the bed, Kara carefully released her grip on the younger woman. She tucked Lena into the Pima Cotton bed sheets, Kara’s room had silk sheets and she had fallen out of bed twice last night. She took one last glance at Lena before slipping to the door, closing it carefully behind her. 

* * *

Kara was curled up in one of the big wing tipped chairs, her knees bent and feet tucked to the side. She was leafing through a first edition of The Great Gatsby. She had never read the book before, but within the first few pages was already engrossed with the text; she was so intent on reading it she hadn’t even noticed Lex come to lean against the door frame a few feet from her. 

“Money is always acquired at someone else's expense.” Lex’s voice announced his presence in the room as he stepped forward. “Especially by the vapid, profligate fools in the story of Gatsby.” 

Kara looked up from the pages, a smirk on her features. “Well the descriptions of the scenery are quite impressive, even if it is all for nothing.”

Lex chuckled gently at her statement. “I can see why Lena loves you.” He must have noticed Kara’s eyes widen a bit at the statement because he quickly continued. “I know my sister well, I can assure you she is in love with you.” He added.

Kara cleared her throat, running a hand over the back of her neck, she wasn’t sure how to respond to that and hoped he would move on quickly. Thankfully he did, and soon he was talking again. “I don’t mean to pry, but I was wondering if you had an appropriate dress for tonight.”

“Uh, I brought a dress I have for going out.”

“Where is it from?” Lex queried. 

“H&M.” Kara spoke unsurely, having a feeling that was not the answer he was expecting. 

Lex grimaced slightly. “That’s what I thought. Come with me.” He requested as he pushed himself from the door frame.

Kara knitted her brows in confusion but stood from the chair, moving to reshelve the book in its original location before following Lex out of the library. “I mean you no disrespect, but I know my mother can be a bit rough around the edges and I figured this would give her one less thing to worry about. Lena doesn’t know, so it’ll be a surprise to her as well.” Lex smiled, proud of himself for thinking of the idea. 

“Where exactly are we going?” Kara asked as she followed him. “Also no offence but I don’t think your mother likes me very much.” 

“All the more reason to not give her any extra reason to look down on you. As for where we are going, the answer is right here.” Lex stopped in front of a door, pushing it open and leading Kara into the room. Her jaw dropped at the sight in front of her, looking over the set up; racks of expensive dresses lined the walls, a makeshift changing room off to the side. There was a vanity full of expensive looking makeup, complete with hair dryer, curling iron, and hair straightener. “Kara, this is Melanie,” He spoke as he motioned to a tall brunette woman with tanned skin, dressed in a pair of black dress pants and a loose white blouse. “and this is Patricia.” He motioned to a similarly dressed blonde next to her. 

Kara looked over them both, offering a shy smile and a somewhat awkward wave. “What exactly is this for?” 

“Our annual Luthor Christmas party is in two hours, anything in this room is at your disposal, these two will help you get ready; consider it a method of avoiding scrutiny from my mother.” He joked. “Merry Christmas.” He added with a sincere smile before moving for the door. 

“Lex wait.” Kara called as she turned to him. “Could you um, could you maybe help me get a hold of something?” She asked unsurely, Lex smiling and giving her a nod. 

When she told him what she wanted, and when she needed it, he nodded simply, ensuring her that he would be able to get a hold of it in time. With that he exited the room, leaving Kara to swallow as she looked over the array of things in front of her. She had no idea what she was doing, but se trusted the women in the room to give her any kind of help she needed.

* * *

Lena let out a breath as she managed to extract herself from the dozenth conversation in the past half hour. Her hands were already sweaty from shaking hands and she tried to not make it obvious as she wiped her hands on the side of the dress. She glanced around the room, once again looking for Kara, only to have her eyes fall on Lex. Smiling in relief at the familiar face, she walked over to her brother’s side. “Hey, have you seen Kara?” 

Lex gave her a grin. “She should be here soon.” He assured.

Lena raised a perfectly manicured brow at him. “What are you up to Lex?” She questioned. “You know something.” The dress Lena wore was merlot red, cinched at the waist and flowing to the floor. Her leg peaked out from the slit up the side, while one shoulder was left bare due to the asymmetric neckline, the other shoulder covered by the fabric that was delicately layered. 

“Consider it part of your Christmas gift,” He spoke playfully “she should be here any minute.” 

“Lena?” A familiar accented voice met her ears, causing Lena to turn around with a wide smile on her face. 

“Jack!” She grinned as he stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her in a hug. “How are you? It’s so good to see you.” She smiled brighter. Jack had been one of her closest friends throughout high school, never giving her a hard time about her being so much younger than him, nor was he ever intimidated by her intelligence. 

“I’m good, I’ve started my own company,” He informed her casually. “we’ve made some good progress.”

“Spheerical Industries, I’ve heard.” She smiled proudly. “I really am proud of you Jack, I know you’ll do great things.”

“You know there’s always going to be a job opened for you if you want to take it.” He assured her.

Lena gave him a kind smile, surprised by the offer. “That’s really nice of you to offer Jack, I appreciate it. Who knows, I may just take you up on it.” She joked, though they both knew once she was done school there was an assumption that she would go to work at LuthorCorp with her family. 

Their conversation continued for a few moments before Lena noticed a drop in the conversations around her, even Jack’s attention being drawn away from her as he glanced over her shoulder to the door behind her. “I wonder who that is.” He spoke, not recognizing the woman.

Lena turned at his words, following his line of sight to the doorway. Her breath immediately caught in her throat as her eyes landed on the figure in the door frame. Kara stood there, her long blonde hair pulled back off her face but the long strands fell along her back, a few curls down the front along her shoulders. The deep sapphire blue dress she was wearing was magnificent beyond words, the edge of the lace just barely brushed the floor with the toe her off-white shoes peeking out; the dress hung off her shoulders, exposing her collarbones and neck. 

Lena cleared her throat, not breaking eye contact with Kara when their eyes met, the gaze making Lena all but melt into the floor. “That’s my. . . Kara.” She spoke as a response to Jack’s question, not bothering to correct herself. “Excuse me.” She sounded apologetic as she left, making her way to Kara. She stood in front of the older blonde for a moment, biting her lip gently. “Hi.” She spoke breathlessly.

“Hi.” Kara returned just as breathlessly, clearing her throat gently. “You look amazing.” Kara told her, her eyes sweeping over the red fabric that clung to Lena’s form.

“You are quite literally breathtaking, I’m not even sure I’m breathing right now.” Lena said honestly, not sure why that level of honest had left her mouth. Thankfully it wasn’t as embarrassing as she thought and instead blood rushed to Kara’s cheeks, colouring them fiercely. 

“Who was that you were talking with?” Kara asked as she and Lena moved to the side, Kara tried ignoring the fact that a few pairs of eyes were still on her. 

“Oh that was Jack, he was a friend of mine from high school.” She answered as she glanced back over at him.

“I hope I didn’t interrupt anything.” Kara said apologetically, her brows furrowing slightly in worry.

“Of course not.” Lena smiled. They stayed silent for a bit, simply gazing at each other before the sound of Lillian’s voice tore Lena’s attention away from the woman in front of her. Letting out a sigh, Lena glanced over her shoulder before turning back to Kara. “I’ll be right back okay?” She spoke apologetically.

“Of course, go rub elbows.” She encouraged with a smile as she nodded towards where Lena’s mother stood.

Lena had just finished engaging in a conversation with her mother and a gentleman who was apparently a family friend, though Lena learned as a child a friend simply meant a donor, when she noticed Kara with Jack. The two were obviously very deep into a conversation. 

“You look beautiful, Lena.” She turned her head to look at her father as Lionel’s voice pulled her from her thoughts. 

“Thank you.” She whispered sweetly. She would never admit it, but she really was a daddy’s girl at heart. Her father had doted on her since she was young and she loved every minute of it. 

“I spoke to Kara a few minutes ago,” he began, “she seems like a very smart young woman. Very caring and committed. You are lucky to have found someone so wonderful, you seem to be a good match.” Lionel met her gaze, smiling down at his daughter. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this truly happy and I am so proud of you, for everything.” Lionel turned and offered her a hug, an unusual show of affection that Lena quickly accepted, wrapping her arms around his father. 

“I love you.” Lionel whispered as he kissed her hair. 

“I love you too.” Lena grinned before pulling back from him. 

“I don’t mean to interrupt.” Kara was standing off to the side of them, hoping she wasn’t ruining some sort of moment. 

“Not at all my dear,” Lionel assured her kindly. “I’ll leave you two be.” He spoke, sending them both a wink before walking off. 

“Sorry about that, but for what it’s worth I did come here to ask you something.” Kara spoke. “I didn’t just butt in for no reason.” 

“Oh?” Lena asked with a smile as she tilted her head. “What did you want to ask me?”

Kara smiled brightly, feeling oddly proud of herself. “Lena Luthor, may I have this dance?” She outstretched her hand palm facing up to Lena, not breaking eye contact with her.

“Of course you may.” Lena grinned and took the hand presented to her. Kara proceeded to lead her to the side of the room, where other couples were swaying slowly together. 

Once they arrived at the designated section of the large room, Kara pulled Lena closer to her. Her left hand was resting on Lena’s hip, while her right hand clasped with Lena’s left as she felt Lena rest her right hand on her shoulder. “I know I said this already, but you really are beautiful tonight Lena, I mean you’re beautiful all the time but tonight especially.” Kara spoke, fumbling over her words only slightly as she moved one hand to awkwardly push her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

“That’s very sweet of you to say, you look very beautiful too.” Lena responded. 

“That was a miracle in all honesty,” Kara joked. “I’m not used to this sort of outfit, I nearly wore contacts.” 

“I’m glad you didn’t, I like your glasses.” Lena admitted. “They’re very you.” Lena released her hold on Kara’s hand as the music switched songs, placing both her hands behind Kara’s neck. “Thank you for doing this for me.” Lena whispered, her breath hitching slightly as she felt Kara drop her now free hand to the other side of Lena’s waist. 

“You know I’d do anything for you.” Kara whispered in return, the two of them falling silent. They spent the rest of the night dancing together, taking comfort in each others presence. Both of them silently wished they could dance together forever, but deep down they both knew that this would end as soon as the holidays were over. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and Kudos always work as motivation . . .so do with that information what you will.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas Day comes with a surprising number of interruptions and feels

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully this chapter clears up some questions people have had. I'm sorry this took so long, school has started back so it'll be a bit longer between updates I'm sorry. But I hope you enjoy nonetheless!

Not long after the gala ended, Lena found herself alone on the roof, looking up at the vast sky full of stars. She had on a pair of wind breaker pants, a heavy black winter jacket and a red scarf protecting her from the cold winter air. Lena turned her head at the sound of the door from the attic to the roof being opened. She smiled upon seeing Kara poking her head out. 

Kara had on a red jacket, her tan turtleneck peeking out as a result of her jacket being left open. “Hey, Lex said I might find you up here.” She spoke as she crawled out of the window, sitting down next to Lena. 

“It helps me think,” Lena started. “it puts everything into perspective. The idea that everything else is so big, in the vastness of the universe we are so insignificant.” She turned her head to Kara, smiling gently. “Do you believe there’s life on other planets?” 

Kara held back a snort at the question, instead doing her best to look contemplative. “I think there is.”

“Me too.” Lena smiled as she went back to gazing at the stars.

Kara watched Lena, tracing her profile and taking a moment to admire the woman next to her. “Are you okay after the gala?” Kara asked. 

Lena nodded, still looking up at the stars. “Yeah I’ll be okay, my family can just be a lot, and sometimes I know it’s better if I just hide out here for a bit.” Lena loved her family, she really did. She just knew how to regulate herself, and often found escaping to the outdoors was better than her lashing out when things became overwhelming. 

Kara nodded in understanding but remained silent. They sat together, both of them feeling calm as they watched the stars in silence. At some point Lena had curled into Kara’s side, relaxing against her shoulder. She looked down at her watch after some time, smiling gently when she saw it was officially December 25. “Merry Christmas Kara.” She whispered, tilting her head up look at her.

Blue eyes met green as Kara turned her head to look at Lena. “Merry Christmas Lena.” She returned softly. Kara examined her carefully, wondering what she was thinking about. 

Lena cleared her throat, pushing herself up off of Kara carefully. “We should go inside before it gets too late.” She suggested as she moved herself onto her knees before standing carefully, aware of the slope of the roof.

“Right.” Kara asked and jumped up quickly so she was standing in front of Lena, making her way back to open the door. “Ladies firs-“ She was cut off by a strangled scream from Lena, causing Kara to whip around, her heart skipping multiple beats as she saw Lena fall off the side of the roof. “LENA!” She sped to the side of the house, jumping down after her and catching her in her arms, floating a few dozen feet above the ground. 

Lena looked at her with wide eyes, her heart pounding in her ears. She glanced between Kara’s concerned bright blue eyes and the ground below them, that they were still above, seemingly by magic. “Kara?” She asked softly, confusion, shock, and awe coating her voice.

“When you asked me if I believed in life on other planets you have no idea how ironic that question was.” Kara spoke steadily. She lowered them to the ground slowly, carefully releasing the hand that was supporting Lena’s legs. The one that had been supporting her waist remaining where it was, taking a moment to hold Lena against her.

“You-“ Lena took a shaky step back from Kara, putting some distance between them. “You’re an alien?” She questioned unsurely. “Like from another planet?” 

Kara remained silent but nodded.

“Is the flying the only thing you can do?”

Still remaining silent, Kara shook her head, her brows knitted.

Lena let out a breathy laugh at her silence. “I’m not mad or anything, I understand why you didn’t tell me. In all honesty I’m just glad you saved me.”

“I would never let anything happen to you.” Kara spoke suddenly and firmly, her voice full of conviction.

Lena dipped her head, a shy smile on her face. She looked back into Kara’s blue eyes, smiling at the sight of them. Chewing her lip slightly she decided to be bold; “What else can you do?” She asked, hoping the question wasn’t too invasive.

Kara watched her for a moment before speaking. “I guess I may as well throw it all out there.” She took a breath as she thought of everything she would have to list. "I can blast fire out of my eyes. I can hear a dog barking from 10 miles away, I can see through solid objects and I can run faster than the speed of sound. I can lift a car over my head like it’s a beach ball, and obviously I can fly.”

Lena looked at her in awe, completely flabbergasted by her words. She was so intrigued, so curious. “Do you remember where you come from?” She asked, wondering how Kara got here. She wasn’t expecting the older girl to almost instantly have her eyes fill with tears, her lip quivering in an apparent attempt not to cry. “Yes.” Kara practically whimpered, her heart feeling as though it was being torn apart within her chest. 

Lena panicked at the sight of Kara so close to breaking down, automatically moving to do damage control. “Kara I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. You don’t need to tell me anything.” She spoke in a rushed tone, placing a hand on Kara’s arm in an attempt to soothe her.

"No it's okay. I'm sorry." Kara mumbled as she rubbed her eyes. She let out a shaky breath, doing her best to steady herself. "I landed here when I was 13, so I remember everything. It's complicated."

"Will you tell me about it? I mean you don't have to, but I'll listen if you want." Lena offered carefully. 

Kara nodded and smiled tearily. "Actually I would really like that." She admitted. 

They walked around the grounds for a long while, the snow crunching beneath their feet as Kara told Lena everything she could remember. Things about Krypton’s culture, their language, her parents, things she hadn’t even told Alex. She even told Lena about the bad memories, watching Krypton explode while being trapped in that pod, the silence. She told her everything. At some point they came to a bench, and Lena asked Kara if she knew where Krypton would have been in their night sky. 

"My dad showed me when I first got here." Kara explained. She turned her body slightly, searching the night sky before lifting her arm to point to a blank space between two existing stars. "Rao would have been there." She explained. "If I'm lucky, one day I'll get to see it." She smiled wistfully, missing the home she left behind. 

Lena leant over Kara's back slightly, their cheeks pressed against one another as Lena followed her gaze. "I'm sure it'll be beautiful." Lena assured with a smile. 

Kara relaxed slightly, enjoying the feeling of Lena pressed against her a little more than she should. Getting an idea, she leant forward before standing suddenly, causing Lena to laugh and cling to her. 

"Kara!" She squealed. "What are you doing?" She laughed as she wrapped her arms around the girls neck, shivering involuntarily as Kara's hands went to support Lena's legs. 

"I'm giving you a piggyback ride because I can." Kara smirked. 

Lena laughed and relaxed against her, chuckling as Kara playfully pranced around in the snow, the only light coming from the moon above them. "We should go inside before it gets too late." Lena suggested. 

"Of course." Kara smiled. "You want to go in through the front door?" 

"No!" Lena whispered harshly. "My mom will know we've been out. We have to sneak back in through the window." 

"Good thing I can fly." Kara joked as she did just that, slowly rising off the ground before circling the house and getting them back in through Lena's window. She placed Lena down carefully, turning to face her. "Do you want to stay here?" Lena asked. "You know, to talk more." She swallowed, hoping she hadn't made her desire to stay with Kara longer too obvious. 

"I would like that." Kara replied truthfully. 

Lena smiled quickly at her, kicking off her boots and outer clothing before placing them over the back of a chair in the corner of her room, placing her boots next to the heater. "You can borrow a pair of my pyjamas if you want." Lena offered. 

"Do you just have a pair of shorts? I can sleep in my tank top." Kara suggested. 

"Yeah." Lena smiled as she found a pair of sleep shorts for Kara, handing them to her with a shy smile. She herself stripped off her clothing, tossing her shirt into the corner. 

She glanced up in confusion when she heard a crunch, looking over at Kara with panicked eyes. "Shoot." She cursed, holding a chunk of what was once the corner of Lena's desk. "Lena I am so sorry I just- I turned around and my hip hit the corner and I guess I hit it harder than I was expecting to.” She stuttered out, her cheeks flushed pink both with embarrassment and as a result of seeing Lena take off her shirt. 

Lena let out a chuckle. “Kara it’s fine. Just put it on the desk for now, I’ll fix it tomorrow, it’s honestly not a big deal.” Lena promised.

Kara swallowed and nodded as she did what Lena suggested. “Do you have a preferred side of the bed?” 

“I usually sleep on the side near the door.” Lena explained as she motioned to that side. 

“Near the window it is then.” Kara agreed as she pulled back the sheets, climbing into the soft bed. She watched as Lena climbed in next to her, the two of them turning to face each other. 

“Will you tell me more about what you were like when you were younger?” Lena questioned softly, her voice a near whisper. That’s how they both eventually drifted off, Lena shutting her eyes as she listened to Kara talk about her childhood on Krypton; the colour of the skies, the buildings, the memories of her family. Lena fell asleep feeling completely at peace in Kara’s arms.

* * *

Light streamed in through the window, slowing rousing the occupants of the bed from their slumber. As Lena came around to consciousness, she noticed the feel of something pressed against her back and a weight over her hips. She stretched out her fingers, coming into contact with the back of a hand she quickly realized was Kara’s. She felt Kara shift behind her, the blonde’s hand lifting slightly as her wrist rotated until their fingers were interlocked, Lena’s palm pressed against Kara’s hand. 

Kara pressed her face into Lena’s back gently, resting against the younger girl for a moment before she realized exactly where her hand was and the fact their fingers were laced. She couldn’t hear anything else now except the sound of her own heart pounding in her ears. Raising her head, she looked down at their intertwined hands and swallowed thickly as she noticed Lena shift onto her back. Suddenly their faces were closer than they had ever been, save for when Kara kissed Lena but even that hadn’t been this intimate. Lena stared up at her and Kara stared back, the air between them growing heavier as they contemplated their next moves; their bodies pressed against one another, they both began to lean in slowly.

All too suddenly the door was pushed open, the noise causing Lena and Kara to jump apart. Kara nearly fell off the side of the bed as she looked up with panicked eyes to see Lex standing in the doorway, the biggest grin on his face.

“LEX!” Lena shrieked in a mix of anger and embarrassment. “Don’t you knock!?” 

“There will be time to make out with your girlfriend later Ace, there are presents downstairs.” He spoke matter of factly.

Lena flung the covers off herself as she jumped out of bed, chasing her brother down the hall. It was mostly sibling teasing, but she so wished she could pound on him for having interrupted the moment her and Kara seemed to have been having. 

Kara knelt next to the bed, blinking in confusion as she was left where she had fallen. She stood up slowly, not really sure what the protocol for Christmas morning was in the Luthor household. She was making her way around the side of the bed when Lex stuck his head back into the room, his breathing slightly heavy after having run away from Lena. “Are you coming?” He asked, glancing behind himself quickly to make sure his sister hadn’t found him.

“Should I get dressed or something?” Kara asked looking down at her pyjamas.

Lex waved his hand dismissively. “Not at all, we’re rich we’re not crazy.” He joked. “Christmas morning is had in pyjamas.” He assured Kara. “Oh! By the way, that thing you wanted me to get arrived.” He grinned cheekily before motioning for Kara to follow him as he lead her downstairs to where the tree stood decorated in the living room. 

The whole place looked like something out of a magazine, it was immaculate and yet there were touches of normalcy. Ornaments that had obviously been made by Lex and Lena as children were placed among the fancy balls on the tree, presents littered the space beneath the pine, spilling out past the tree skirt. Even Lionel and Lillian were sat next to each other on the couch, Lillian resting against Lionel’s side. 

Kara took a seat next to Lena on the floor, giving her a smile as the ravenette handed her a mug of coffee. Lena swallowed a sip of her own coffee, doing her best in that moment to not focus too much on the situation she had woken up in. She could still remember the feeling of Kara’s torso pressed against her back, her arm slung across her waist and their fingers intertwined. What made it even worse was that Lena wished she could wake up that way every day for the rest of her life. 

Kara felt like she was only slightly intruding on the family Christmas, though she did her best not to overthink her sudden placement there. She looked up in confused curiosity when Lex handed her a box that had her name neatly printed on it, even Lena seemed otherwise distracted as Kara carefully took the box. “I didn’t-“

“Just open the present.” Lex smiled at her, watching as she peeled back the paper carefully. Removing the box from the wrapping, her eyes widened at the tell tale bright orange and black piping of the box. “Open it.” Lex urged again, noticing her hesitation.

Kara looked up to see Lena’s eyes were now watching her, a small, knowing smile on her face. She opened the box slowly, her breath hitching at the sight of the light blue Hermes scarf resting inside the box. “This is so stunning, thank you.” She spoke, hoping her voice wasn’t as unsure as it sounded to her own ears. It truly was stunning, but she also knew it was wildly more than anything she could ever hope to afford. She looked back at Lionel and Lillian, thanking them each individually, before turning back to Lena who held yet another box out to her.

“You didn’t have to also get me something.” Kara mumbled as Lena moved even closer to her. 

“Of course I did.” Lena mentioned. “It’s nothing major don’t worry.” She assured her with a sly smile.

“I think you’re lying to me but I’m going to open it anyway.” Kara teased as she opened the box with slightly less hesitation than she did the first. She raised her brow at the sleek wooden box beneath the wrapping. Pushing it open, Kara held her breath at the sight, biting the inside of her lip to stop the tears. “Lena.” She breathed not knowing what else to say.

Inside the box was a set of two ink pens, both were meticulously crafted and had _Kara Danvers_ engraved in simple gold script, the word _Reporter_ in similar but smaller script just below. “I figured every reporter needs a good pen.” She smiled somewhat shyly. 

Kara leaned forward, wrapping her arms around Lena tightly. She did her best not to hug her too tightly, acutely aware of the fact that she could hurt her. “Thank you so much Lena, I love it. I love you.” She smiled as she kissed her cheek briefly, partially to keep up appearances but partially because she wanted to show how grateful she truly was to have someone so wonderful be apart of her life. 

“I love you too.” The response coming naturally from Lena’s lips as she tried not to overthink that either. 

“Okay, time for your present.” Kara spoke excitedly as she pulled back and got up to get the present she had gotten Lena. “I can’t take all of the credit, Lex helped; I have a few other things back in National City.” She explained haphazardly. 

Lena chuckled as she took the present, only Kara would assure someone she had other gifts for them while already handing them one. Lena ripped open the paper, not being able to stop the sudden yelp like squeak that came from her mouth. “Oh Kara.” She whispered softly. She quickly wiped away the tears that had sprung to her eyes. She was looking down at a first edition of The King of Ireland’s Son, which she remembers having mentioned to Kara was the book her mother use to read her back home in Ireland. 

“I know it’s your favourite.” Kara whispered.

“How did you even get this?” She asked, hoping her voice didn’t crack. 

“I had some help.” She spoke as she glanced over at Lex who gave her a proud smile in return. “I’m really glad you like it Lena.” 

Lena put the book to the side carefully before launching herself at Kara, the blonde laughing slightly as Lena practically tackled her to the ground. Lena buried her face into the side of Kara’s neck as she held her. Kara sat up slowly after a few minutes, giving Lena room to sit back on her own. Kara brushed a stray piece of hair from Lena’s face, dipping her head to meet the green eyes of her best friend. “Merry Christmas.” She smiled.

“Merry Christmas Kara.” Lena smiled.

After the opening of all the presents had been completed, there was a quick breakfast consisting of scones, fruit, and much to Kara’s delight cinnamon buns; even more delightfully, no one seemed to question when she ate four of them by herself. After that, everyone was left to do their own thing while Lillian and Lionel got to work on cooking dinner. They assured everyone they needed no aid in the kitchen, as they cooked together every year. 

As Lena and Kara walked side by side back up to where the bedrooms were located, their presents held in their arms, Kara turned to Lena. “Is it okay if I go swimming?” She asked somewhat unsurely.

Lena let out a chuckle. “Of course.” She assured.

Kara beamed at her. “Do you want to come with me?” She questioned.

“I’ll come down with you, but is it okay if I read rather than swim?” Lena asked.

“That’s more than fine, I just know that swimming with a buddy is safer.” Kara teased.

Lena chuckled. “I’ll get dressed and meet you out here in like ten minutes?” She questioned. 

“Sounds good to me.” Kara grinned as she scurried off to her bedroom, carefully placing the presents next to her suitcase before fishing out her bathing suit. She super sped into the garment, pulling her hair out from underneath the bathing suit. She grabbed a long bathing suit cover up, one that appeared more like a white dress and threw it on. Knowing there were towels at the pool, she opted to spend a few moments fixing her hair, if only for the short walk to the basement. 

She opened her bedroom door, a smile on her face when she saw Lena. “Good to go?” Kara asked, doing her best not to stare at her friend (were they still just friends? She didn't know) who was dressed in white striped shorts and a green tank top, the book Kara got her held carefully in her hands. 

“Yeah, I’m good.” Lena assured as they walked together down to the pool. 

“Now I don’t know if you know this,” Kara began as they made their way to the pools edge. “but I swam competitively throughout high school.” She explained as she pulled the cover up off over her head. 

Lena felt her entire mouth go dry at the sight of Kara in her bathing suit, swallowing thickly as she tried not to stare at her arms. “I did not know that.” Lena admitted, hoping her voice wasn’t as shaky as it sounded to her own ear. “Weren’t you at an unfair advantage given your…..” she trailed off, making a gesture in the general direction of Kara in an attempt to show she was talking about her powers. 

“My great arms?” Kara teased. 

“Yes.” Lena asked before she realized what she had said, her entire brain seemed to short circuit as she went into a panic. “I mean no! I mean not just that.”

Kara smiled smugly, raising a brow at Lena’s response. “It helped me get control of my powers,” Kara explained. “I knew I couldn’t use them, so it allowed me to learn how to be normal. Plus it wasn’t a contact sport so I wasn’t going to accidentally hurt anyone.” She continued. 

“Yeah that makes sense.” Lena realized as she sat down. “Knock yourself out.” She spoke motioning to the pool as she herself went to take a seat on a nearby chair. She looked up when she heard the splash of Kara diving, with perfect form, into the water. Over the course of the next hour Lena really did her best not to stare at her friend, keeping her eyes on the words of the page in front of her. She tried not to let her mind wander to how Kara felt pressed against her that morning; she was starting to think that this whole fake relationship was a bad idea considering she was all but in love with her blonde best friend. She was a mess. 

Kara pulled herself from the pool, hoping it was more graceful than it felt, before ringing her hair out slightly, the blonde strands falling around her shoulders. “How’s the book going?” Kara asked as she moved to stand in front of Lena.

“It’s going really go--” Lena looked up at Kara and froze completely, unintentionally letting out a whimper at the sight of Kara standing in front of her, the bathing suit clinging to her skin so tightly that Lena was wondering if she really was able to see Kara’s abs through the nylon spandex fabric. “good.” 

“I’m glad to hear that.” Kara grinned as she placed her hands on her hips. “Can you do me a favour?”

“Mhm.” Lena nodded, not trusting her voice. 

“Can you put the book down and stand up?” Kara asked.

Lena knitted her brows in confusion but nodded and did as Kara asked. Soon she was standing in front of Kara, her book placed carefully off to the side. “What?” She asked as she glanced up at Kara, her green eyes searching her friend’s blue. 

Kara stepped forward quickly, grabbing Lena by the waist.

“KARA!” Lena yelped as she gripped the back of Kara’s bathing suit. “Kara put me down!” She pleaded, letting out a short scream that was garbled when she hit the water. Eventually they both popped up from under the water, Kara laughing loudly and Lena sputtering as she attempted to push the hair from her face. “You are so mean.” Lena mumbled, but a smile was on her face. 

“Awe I’m sorry, how can I make it up to you?” Kara teased as she swam closer.

Lena splashed water at her in annoyance, scrunching her nose gently before taking a breath when she realized how close Kara was to her, how blue her eyes were. “Kiss me.” Lena requested breathlessly. She didn’t even have time to panic about the words that had just left her mouth before the door to the pool swung open. The two girls turned towards it, Lena turning a furious colour of red. “Hi Dad.” She waved, offering him an awkward smile as she swam towards the edge of the pool in order to pull herself out of it. 

“Hi sweetheart, you two girls having a good time?” He asked.

“Yeah.” She spoke shakily as she grabbed a towel. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, your mom just wanted me to let you know that dinner will be ready soon” Lionel informed the two of them, Kara also pulling herself out of the water.

“Okay, great thanks dad. I’ll go get dressed.” Lena smiled as she scurried out past Lionel. She didn’t look back at Kara, who had grabbed a towel and watched her leave with a furrowed brow and a frown. 

Lionel looked back at Kara with a small, knowing smile, before closing the door to the pool and following behind where Lena went. Kara carefully picked Lena’s book up from the chair, moving towards the door herself so she could return upstairs to prepare for dinner. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't hate me . . . it was my friends idea not mine. Comments are love!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys I know this is late I'm sorry, I really have been doing my best but school has made writing time less frequent. The next chapter will serve as an epilogue and it'll be shorter so I hope it takes a shorter amount of time to write.

Kara stared up at the ceiling from her place in the bed she had been using while visiting Lena, her brows knitted in confusion as she turned to see the light from the sunrise filling the room. “Oops.” She whispered to herself, realizing she never ended up falling asleep the night before. She threw the covers off herself and made her way to stand in front of the window, allowing her cells to absorb the first bits of the sun’s radiation. 

She knew why she didn’t sleep the night before, she was just in the midst of overthinking what it meant. After their moment in the pool yesterday, Lena had skillfully avoided being alone with Kara. Not in a way that was rude, she was still the perfect host, always wanting to make sure Kara was enjoying her time there. But after dinner came family game night, and after family game night Lena had excused herself to bed without giving Kara a chance to catch up to her, leaving Kara to lay in bed for hours. Was Lena avoiding her because she felt embarrassed by suggesting Kara kiss her? Was she worried Kara had somehow felt taken advantage of? These thoughts, and others, had been swirling around her head for the entire night, causing her to over think every interaction she and the young brunette had ever shared. 

As she continued to look out over the grounds she realized she wasn’t exactly sure when her feelings for Lena had manifested into something more than friendship. And what she felt now, she didn’t exactly know either which made it all rather confusing. She knew she wanted more with Lena if she had the chance, but she took the other girl’s behaviour as a confirmation that she wasn’t interested in anything more; she knew it would hurt, but Kara would rather have Lena as just a friend than to not have her in her life at all. 

* * *

Down the hall, Lena was experiencing a similar dilemma. She had tossed and turned all night before giving up, throwing the covers off her and trudging into the bathroom. She turned on the shower before going to stand in front of the bathroom mirror. She sighed as she took in the sight of the dark circles under her eyes, her face even more pale than normal due to the exhaustion that was a result of a terrible night sleep. She had a knot in her stomach so big she thought she was going to vomit, she was absolutely positive she had shot to shit her entire relationship with Kara with two stupid words. What in the world had she been thinking? She didn’t know. What she did know was she dreaded facing Kara alone again, dreaded the fact that the blonde may decide their relationship is too far gone, that the things they wanted were too different. It was so awful and Lena hated all of it. 

As soon as she was out of the shower, Lena dried herself off before getting dressed in the most comfortable clothes she had, knowing she and Kara were travelling home together. Oh god- she was travelling home with Kara. She was going to be in a confined space for hours at a time with the girl she was pretty certainly in love with, the girl she had asked to kiss her before chickening out and running for the hills. She was doomed. Letting out a grown, Lena zipped close her suitcase and put it next to her bedroom door before she slipped out of the room, making her way downstairs. 

* * *

The morning had gone just as awkwardly as the previous night, and soon their bags were being loaded into the back of a town car. Kara was being ever the gentlewoman and saying her goodbyes while thanking Lena’s family. Lena exited the home, standing on the porch, turning slightly when she saw Lillian come up beside her. “Hi mom,” she spoke gently.

“Lena, I wanted to apologize for my behaviour towards you during this trip.” Lillian started, obviously not beating around the bush about the subject she planned on discussing. “I should have been more supportive of your relationship with Kara and I am sorry I wasn’t.” 

“Mom you don’t have to-“

“Just let me finish, please.” Lillian requested, her tone soft. “Kara is a lovely young woman, and I can tell you really care for her. I want you to know that I am aware I was wrong in not supporting you. From now on I’ll work to be more supportive of you, in anyway that I can. It may take me some time and I cannot promise I will be perfect, but I can promise you that I will try to the very best of my ability.”

Lena felt the tension leave her body, relaxing around her mother completely for the first time since she could remember. “Can I ask: what made you change your mind?” Lena asked, looking up at Lillian with confused curiosity.

Lillian looked over to where Kara was still talking to Lex, the two of them laughing over something Lex had said. “She came over to talk to me during the gala, we had what can only be described as a heart to heart. It also helped me to realize that she really is a perfect match for you. I think she’s exactly the kind of person you need in your life.” Lillian smiled. 

Lena wasn’t sure what to say, and grew even more shocked when Lillian opened her arms for Lena to step into, smiling as her mother wrapped her arms around her in a hug. “I love you mom.” Lena mumbled gently. 

“I love you too Lena.” Lillian smiled, pulling back as Kara came up to them. “I wish you both a safe journey home.” She spoke, giving Kara a smile. 

“Thank you for allowing me to stay here Mrs. Luthor, it was lovely.” Kara spoke appreciatively. 

“You’re welcome back anytime.” Lillian smiled. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Kara.” She spoke honestly, knowing her use of the girl’s first name wouldn’t go unnoticed by either of the young women in front of her. 

Kara reached down to take Lena’s hand, partially to maintain the illusion for the next few moments and partially because she knew it was the last time she’d get to do such a thing. Most importantly though, she wanted to offer support to her friend. “Good to go?” She asked.

“Yeah I’m good.” Lena smiled, giving one final wave to her family before making her way to the car with Kara. 

Their journey to the airport, and eventually back home to National City, was fairly uneventful. Neither of them brought up what Lena had come to refer to as The Pool Incident and they spent the majority of the time in silence, a deck of cards between them as they played Rummy 500 continuously; Kara won, but Lena may have let her. 

Soon enough Lena was walking Kara to the door of her apartment, the town car waiting to bring her back to her own apartment. “Thank you for everything Kara, it really - it meant a lot that you would do that.” Lena smiled gently as she looked up at the blonde.

Kara smiled kindly in return, shrugging gently. “No need to thank me Lena, nothing I wouldn’t do again in a heartbeat.” She smiled. “You’re coming to the party Alex is having on New Years Eve right?” She asked, the smile on her face overly hopeful.

Lena blinked a few times, not expecting an invitation to the event. “Uh, yeah I’ll be there.” Lena spoke after a few seconds of delay. “Is there a dress code?” 

Kara let out a breathy laugh. “No there’s no dress code, just wear whatever you want.” She assured. “New Year’s Eve at 10:30.” She repeated. 

Lena nodded. “I’ll see you then.”

“Awesome.” Kara grinned, reaching forward to give Lena a quick hug before disappearing into her apartment complex. Lena made her own way home, feeling slightly melancholy at knowing Kara wasn’t asleep in the space next to her. 

* * *

Lena could not remember another event where she had spent so much time stressing over every detail of her appearance. She had pulled her hair in a neat ponytail, and was quite proud of herself that her hair elastic matched her dress. She put on a light amount of makeup, not wanting to over do it, with a dark red lipstick carefully applied. She had gone dress shopping specifically for this party, something she had never done before but was glad she did since she was very happy with the dress she found. It was a dark blue, with white flowers surrounded by delicate green leaves that sparsely covered the fabric; it hugged her curves perfectly, and dipped low in the back to graze just above her tailbone while the neckline dipped low enough to show off a tasteful amount of cleavage.

It was the first time she was seeing Kara since they’d gotten back from Christmas break and to say she was nervous would be an understatement. She hoped things wouldn’t be too different between them, in fact if she was being completely honest with herself a part of her hoped Kara never again brought up the things that had occurred over the winter holidays. She arrived at the party tastefully late, around 10:45 so as not to seem too eager, and waited with bated breath on the other side of the door. 

She smiled widely when the door opened, revealing Alex on the other side. “Lena!” She grinned happily, stepping back from the door to let her in. “It’s so good to see you! How did your vacation go?” She asked as took Lena’s coat from her.

Lena smiled at the older girl and spoke a quick thanks as Alex took her coat. “It went surprisingly well. How about you? How did it go with Kelly’s mom?” She wondered.

“Wonderfully!” Alex announced happily. “Everything went smoothly, Winn only set his sleeve on fire once. And not to brag, but Kelly’s mom loved me.” She spoke proudly.

Lena laughed and shook her head gently. “I’m glad it went well.” She said truthfully. 

“Me too.” Alex spoke briefly. “Kara should be around here somewhere by the way,” she added, a smile on her face that Lena hadn’t ever seen on her before. “Go in and mingle, I promised James and Winn I’d get them another drink.” She spoke as she walked off to the kitchen, leaving Lena to make her way inside. 

She scanned the room slowly, taking in the bustle of the not unsubstantial crowd, she recognized a few of Alex’s classmates, some she had just seen on campus. She continued looking around, her breath hitching gently when her eyes landed on Kara. She was talking to Kelly so her attention was elsewhere, allowing Lena to take a few minutes to admire her. 

From there things almost seemed as if they occurred in slow motion, and totally cliché; Kara looked up, her blue eyes meeting Lena’s green ones before she said a quick word to Kelly. Lena imagined she was excusing herself, because she was soon standing and making her way over. Lena appeared frozen on the spot, watching as Kara practically floated through the crowd (Lena looking down at her feet for a brief moment wondering if she was in fact floating - she wasn’t). 

Kara was dressed simply in tight light wash jeans, a white cotton t-shirt and a stunning leather jacket that fell just to her waist. Her hair was left loose and flowing down past her shoulders, it was simple but absolutely breathtaking. “Hi.” Kara smiled as she reached Lena, glancing over her briefly. “You look incredible.” She complimented as she stepped forward, now more in Lena’s space.

Lena tried and failed to fight the blush that rushed to her cheeks, smiling warmly. “Thank you, you look amazing yourself.” Because she really truly did, Kara was one of the few people Lena knew that had the ability to wear such a simple outfit and make it look absolutely incredible. 

“Can I get you anything to drink?” Kara offered as she somewhat walked off into the kitchen. Both of them breathed a slight sigh of relief, as they were separated from the rest of the living spaces by a wall, allowing them a reprieve from the pounding music and loud talking that was taking place. 

“I wouldn’t mind a beer if you have one.” Lena spoke honestly. 

“This is Alex’s apartment, of course there’s beer.” She half laughed as she pulled one out, taking off the cap with her bare hands since Lena now knew about her powers and wouldn’t question her ability to do such a thing. She handed the bottle to Lena, taking her own and leaning back against the counter. 

“How have you been?” Lena asked before taking a sip of the beer. She wasn’t sure if it was the number of people in the house or her current proximity to Kara, but she felt like she was on fire and therefore thankful for the feeling of the cold drink on her throat. 

“I’ve been good, spent a few days with Alex, we debriefed, talked about stuff.” She explained, hoping her tone might suggest to Lena that she had discussed the things that went on between them at the Luthor Mansion. While it was now several minutes ago, Kara still fought the blush that threatened to burn her cheeks remembering when Alex had brought James and Winn their drinks and whispered in Kara’s ear that “ _Lena’s here_ ” and Kara should “ _Go get the gir_ l”. 

Lena took another sip of her beer, hoping it would work to calm her nerves; it didn’t. “I should apologize, for what happened on Christmas Day.” She began.

“Apologize for which part?” Kara interjected. “Asking me to kiss you or running away before I could?” 

Lena furrowed her brows gently. “It wasn’t fair to put you on the spot and it was wildly inappropriate-“ she froze when Kara’s words registered for her and her green eyes shot up to meet blue. “wait you were going to kiss me?” She asked, confused beyond words now. 

Kara nodded gently, taking a rather large sip of her own beer in response; could Kryptonians even blush? She wasn’t sure, but she felt like she was.

“Why would you do that? I mean I know you don’t want a real relationship, but I-“

“Why wouldn’t I want a real relationship with you?” Kara questioned. “You are incredible, you’re smart, you’re funny, we’ve been friends for years. I’d be lucky to end up with someone as wonderful as you.”

“Oh.” Lena whispered breathlessly. 

Kara swallowed thickly. “If you don’t want one with me that’s fine, we can be just friends, I just thought-“

“No no that’s not what I meant at all, sorry it’s just you’re-“ Lena gestured vaguely to where Kara was standing. “you’re you, and I just thought you were kinda, or really out of my league.” She explained.

“So basically we both just had a wild misunderstanding of the other person’s feelings about us both.” Kara realized, smiling as Lena relaxed slightly. 

“Yeah I guess so.” 

Before Kara could say anything else, she was interrupted by Winn poking his head into the kitchen. “Hey guys, the countdown is starting if you want to join everyone.” He spoke before leaving back to the larger group beyond the kitchen. The sound of people counting down from twenty filled the space, Kara taking Lena’s hand and leading her out into the living room, going to stand next to Alex, Kelly, Winn and James. 

“Three. Two. One. Happy New Year!” The cheers around them were practically deafening as everyone around them cheered, high fived, or kissed. 

Taking a deep breath, Kara turned to Lena before pulling her close and kissing her abruptly. She hoped she hadn’t made a mistake, only to realize she had not when Lena relaxed into the kiss and melted against Kara’s frame. Her arms looped around Kara’s neck as Kara let one hand rest on the hot skin of Lena’s exposed shoulder blades, the other resting against the small of Lena’s back. 

Kara pulled back slowly, looking down at Lena’s bright green eyes with hopeful uncertainty. “Happy New Year Lena.” 

“Happy New Year Kara.” Lena returned softly.

“Ha! I knew it, pay up losers.” Winn’s triumphant tone broke them from their bubble as they watched Kelly, Alex and James all hand him money. 

“You guys bet on us?” Kara asked concerned, keeping an arm around Lena’s waist. 

“Absolutely. I had New Years, Alex had Christmas, James had Thanksgiving so he was way off, and Kelly had Valentine’s Day. Whoever was the closest without going over won.” He explained, as if betting on your friends was a completely normal occurrence. 

Lena laughed, dropping her gaze slightly as she buried her face into Kara’s shoulder. She smiled as she felt Kara’s lips press against her forehead. As cliché as it sounded, Lena knew that inviting Kara to be her fake girlfriend over the winter break was the smartest thing she had ever done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I based a lot of this chapter off this picture that was drawn and posted on Twitter, if you all want to check it out; it's fantastic. I hope you all enjoyed it! 
> 
> https://twitter.com/Karanizu_ZorEl/status/1211466805828448256


	6. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This will be the last chapter and I hope you guys enjoy!

Kara smiled lazily as she flew between the buildings of National City. Her red cape flowing behind her, the same one Lena had designed for her two years ago. She had just finished putting out a house fire, which resulted in minimal damage. She had been able to save a family, their pet cat and their Christmas morning. 

These were the moments she really enjoyed, flying late enough in the morning to catch the first of the sun's rays, but early enough to know when she arrived back home Lena would likely still be curled up in bed waiting for her. It was Christmas morning after all, and she knew her CEO girlfriend only ever let herself sleep in on days she had off. 

It had been several years since their first trip to Lena’s home over the Christmas break, five to be exact. Five years filled with dates, fights, make ups, and their unwavering support of one another. Kara had eventually been promoted to a reporter at CatCo after spending years as Cat Grant’s assistant. Lena currently worked as head engineer for the R&D Department at LuthorCorp where she was set on solving the world’s energy crisis. Kara couldn’t be prouder of Lena, nor could she be happier that she got to live life with her. 

Kara was rarely more excited than when she got to spend time with Lena. She treasured the moments when it was just the two of them in the apartment they shared, not having to deal with DEO or CEO emergencies and just being able to stay with one another. 

She came to a stop just above the balcony, slowly lowering herself down onto the concrete. Pushing open the sliding door, she stepped inside and made her way to the bedroom. She was hoping not to wake Lena, assuming she was still asleep. Her brows knitted in confusion when she saw their bed was empty.

She super sped out of her suit, hanging it in the back of the closet before venturing out into the living room. She didn’t bother putting clothes on over the boy shorts and sports bra she had already been wearing under her suit. “Lena?” She called, only somewhat worriedly before her eyes fell onto the edge of the bed where a green nerf gun lay. A bow suck to its side, a note in Lena’s hand writing placed on top of it 

_Merry Christmas Baby, loser cleans the dishes_

_P.S. don’t even think about using your super hearing_

_P.P.S no x-ray vision either_

_xoxo_

Kara grinned as she lifted the toy into her arms, seeing that it was already loaded with ammunition. She had made a comment months ago about wishing she could have one. She wasn’t sure why she had always wanted one, she just had, and Lena obviously knew the way to her heart was via plastic and foam darts. 

She crept into the living room, looking around the corner from the bedroom door, fighting the temptation to use her super hearing in order to find out where Lena was. She almost wished she had because Lena quickly jumped out from behind the far edge of the kitchen island. Kara jumped slightly at this, before working to skillfully avoid the foam dart Lena ejected from her nerf gun and shot in her direction; and by skillfully she means she flew up off the ground, having the dart fly underneath her. 

“CHEATER!” Lena bellowed as she fired another shot, before she herself dove behind the kitchen island in order to avoid being hit. Kara took in the sight of Lena, clad only in a pair of red lace underwear and a Supergirl t-shirt, making the House of El crest prominent across her chest. Kara swore she wouldn’t let it distract her. 

“It’s not cheating, it’s just using the skills I have.” Kara defended as she herself hid behind the couch. “Besides you said no super hearing or x-ray vision, you said nothing about flying.”

“Flying isn’t a skill Kara, it’s a super power.” Lena retorted. “And super powers are an unfair advantage in nerf wars.” She proclaimed as she lifted her head to peak out over the island, only to see Kara standing in front of her with a smirk. She had her nerf gun pointed at Lena, who jumped back and let out a squeal of shock that caused Kara to laugh loudly. “You little-“ Lena cursed as Karat hit her with her last dart before Lena made her way around the island and ran at Kara, tackling her forcefully. 

Kara let out a full belly laugh as she let Lena knock her off balance, the two of them almost crashing to the floor. Kara floated gently last minute, Lena still spread out on top of her but her back a few inches above the ground. “You’re lucky I love you.” Lena spoke breathlessly, her hair falling in a slight curtain around the two of them.

“The luckiest.” Kara spoke without missing a beat, grinning widely as she craned her neck up to kiss Lena playfully. 

“We should get married.” Lena spoke suddenly but calmly.

Kara’s eyes widened, the shock causing her to stop flying as the two of them fell the last few inches to the floor, Kara’s arms protectively around Lena’s waist. “What did you just say?” Kara asked breathlessly, her arms releasing their hold on Lena’s waist. 

“We should get married.” Lena repeated, her voice slightly shaky as she wondered if perhaps it wasn’t a good idea to have suggested it. “If you don’t want to that’s fine, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable or suggest something you’re not ready for or -“ She placed her hand next to Kara’s shoulders, trying to push herself up off the ground only for Kara to retighten her hold on Lena against her chest. 

“No Lena I’m sorry, I was just a bit surprised is all.” She began. “I so want to marry you.” She grinned widely as she spoke, completely sure of herself and watched as Lena smiled too. “It’s just-“ Lena’s face fell, growing worried before Kara continued on. “I had plans to propose on New Years Eve, Alex has been holding onto the ring for me for the past three months.” She explained shyly, her cheeks turning a bit pink. 

Lena did her best not to let herself cry at the words that Kara spoke. “You were going to propose?” She asked breathlessly. Her proposal had been on a whim, she had no idea Kara had been actively planning and organizing such a thing. 

Kara chewed her lip. “Yeah, it’s been five years since our first kiss, I thought it was a good full circle thing.”

Lena chuckled gently, leaning down to kiss Kara quickly. “I love you.” 

“I love you too.” Kara smiled. “I never gave you an answer,” She spoke gently “my answer is yes by the way.”

Lena chewed her lip gently. “Still propose at New Years,” She requested “whatever plan you had, keep it. Maybe the next few days it can be our little secret.” 

“I like secrets.” Kara grinned playfully. “I can’t believe I get to marry you.” 

“I can’t believe I get to marry you either.” Lena smiled before leaning down to kiss Kara again, feeling at home in her fiancé’s arms. She could get used to spending her life wrapped in Kara’s arms.

For them both, there’s no where else they’d rather be. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's all guys! Thank you so much for everyone who read, gave kudos, and commented. I really so appreciate it. Thank you so much to @MonrohaKay and marvelousbones for editing.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!


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